As OM Australia’s Information Technology (IT) manager, Victor is responsible for seamlessly integrating the organisation’s infrastructure and systems. He also supports OM workers across Australia and the IT needs of people in preparation for them serving overseas. Yet, how Victor came to be at OM is a testament to God’s leading and provision.”When you know God’s calling in your life, it energises you,” shares Victor.

A Childhood Call to Missions

Victor’s desire to serve God came at a young age. “God gave me that burden in my heart when I was young, and I was drawn to missions,” he says. When Victor was 8, he was diagnosed with an eye condition. “I was the only kid in my class to wear glasses and I got teased a lot. I bargained with God that I would become a missionary if he healed my eyes. At one point, I said to God, even if you don’t heal my eyes, I would still like to be a missionary.”

For Victor, surrendering to God is a never-ending journey, learning to walk with Him and seeing how God works in his life and that of others. As a child growing up in Indonesia, Victor’s first Christian influence came from his grandmother, who raised him until he started school. His faith was nurtured by his mother and many other adults in his life through school and church. “During my teenage years, my dad turned to Christ. He came from a large family that practised ancestral worship. They, too, all became believers, destroying the altars in their homes.”

When Victor was in his final school years, the 1998 Riots in Indonesia occurred, tragically resulting in the deaths of over 1,000 people. Victor’s mother arranged a scholarship for him to study in the UK for one year before starting university. “I thought I was going to stay there, but God brought me to Singapore,” he shares.

A Successful Career and a Forgotten Dream

Victor earned a Computer Science degree in Singapore and built a career in Corporate IT. He settled down in the country, met and married his wife, Phenny, and served in local outreach for his church. “I didn’t think of my childhood dream of becoming a missionary, which was to be like David Livingstone, to grow up, live in the jungle, open the Bible and make disciples.”

It wasn’t until Victor and Phenny had their second child in 2015 that their lives started to move in a different direction. “The trigger was the terrible pollution and haze caused by forest burning in Indonesia. We prayed to God for a solution, where we should go,” he explains. “My cousin suggested Australia. I laughed because Australia is so far away; the thought was unbelievable. But afterwards, things just fell into place.”

With every step of faith, God confirmed Victor’s decisions with a dream. He moved to Melbourne in 2018, not knowing where he would end up or what he would be doing. Then, Victor had a dream of OM’s founder, George Verwer. It gave him an idea. He lived close to OM Australia’s head office and thought God wanted him to help OM. He offered his service as a part-time volunteer and went for an interview, not realising it was for a full-time job as the IT manager. “The position was exactly what I was doing in my previous job.”

Looking back, God was preparing Victor for his role with OM and equipping him with the right skills and experience.

“I often feel like Gideon. Thank God for His patience. He helps and enables me.”

Enabling Others to Serve

Now, Victor is helping and enabling OM and others. His behind-the-scenes work is vital to OM’s security and communications and impacts the success or failure of people and resources going to the field.

While his view of what a traditional mission worker looks like has changed now, he hopes to encourage others who have skills in sharing the Gospel or the many professional supporting roles. “I’ve learned to trust God, that He always provides and keeps His promises,” says Victor. “Often, it is not what we can do for God, but what God does through us which makes lasting changes.”